Document 20: "Mrs. Mossell Griffin's Lynch Bill as a Model," [1922], NAACP Papers, Part 7: The Anti-Lynching Campaign, 1912-1955, Series B: Anti-Lynching Legislative and Publicity Files, 1916-1955, Library of Congress (Microfilm, Reel 3, Frame 672). Included in How Did Black Women in the NAACP Promote the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, 1918-1923?, by Angelica Mungarro, under the supervision of Karen Anderson. (Binghamton, NY: State University of New York at Binghamton, 2003).

The Anti-Lynching Crusaders was not the only black women's organization to promote
anti-lynching legislation in the 1920s. The following article describes the
work of Mrs Mossell Griffin, chairman of the legislative department of the National
Association of Colored Women (NACW), as she sought to ensure the passage of
the Dyer Bill by sponsoring similar legislation in State legislatures. For more
on the NACW see "What Gender Perspectives Shaped
the Emergence of the National Association of Colored Women, 1895-1920?"
also on this website.

MRS. MOSSELL GRIFFIN'S

LYNCH BILL AS A MODEL

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CHAIR. LEG. DEPT. NAT'L ASSN.

WOMEN'S CLUBS HAPPY

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Perhaps no single person deserves
more credit for the enactment of the Anti-Lynching Bill which recently passed
the Legislature than Mrs. M. Mossell Griffin. Not only this but Mrs. Griffin,
who is chairman of the Legislative Dept., National Asso. of Colored Women's
Clubs, has similar bills before various State Legislatures and is waging
a courageous fight in each State. It is her desire to secure the required
number (thirty eight) to force Federal action on the Dyer Bill. Interviewing
Mrs. Griffin, she very modestly disclaimed any particular credit but seem
disposed to give all the credit to others. "Our victory in Pennsylvania,"
said Mrs. Griffin, "is encouraging in that it will enable me to present
this bill as a model when during the next four months, I shall appear before
the Legislatures of a number of States. The bill just passed is the first
bill which is a duplicate of the original Dyer Bill in New Jersey, West
Virginia, and other States though there were a few changes made. I shall
go to Richmond, Va., and place this bill before the next session of the
Virginia body. This will be the first of the Southern States to be tackled.
Mr. Andrew F. Stevens deserves great credit for the masterly way in which
he handled our bill, working day and night with and for us.

His strategy was wonderfully
planned and he out-generalled the opposition, which was quite formidable.
There were men who had made campaign pledges, such as Long, of Coatesville
and he kept his pledge, voting "No." There were nine others who voted against
the bill, Mr. Woodruff, who fought the Equal Rights Bill, being among them.
When these men cast their votes against a measure such as ours I feel that
their usefullness in public life is at an end and as chairman of the Legislative
Branch the Whitelaw Hotel in Washington, of our Department with offices
in [sic] I shall do all I can to defeat them. The greatest aid to our bill
was the fact that our efforts to put it across were not heralded with a
blare of trumpets--no large crowds of our people strolling in and out of
the Capitol. No notice was given, we knew our enemies and we put the bill
over them. Thousands of bills are laying on the table, being referred to
committees and placed on postponed calendars, but Mr. Stevens successfully
got our bill through in five weeks. Publicly, I wish to thank him for his
services to the Federation of Women's Clubs and by no means do we overlook
Attorney Frank Taylor, of the firm of Lewis and Norris. When Senator Barr
placed his objections on file, they were answered by Mr. Stevens through
Attorney Taylor, to whom Mr. Stevens referred them. Within six hours our
representative was able to return to Harrisburg with the brief of Senator
Barr torn to shreds. Justin Carter, of Harrisburg, Attorneys Dickerson and
Norris, of this city are attorneys for our organization and were associated
with me from time to time. Mrs. Maud Coleman, our State Lobbyist, and a
live wire, was with me in the thickest of the fight at Harrisburg. Mrs.
Julia Craig, State Executive Secretary, Mrs. Charles Lewis, State Legislative
chairman are to be commended. Mrs. Lewis secured the silver pen from Caldwells,
the jewellers which will be used by Governor Pinchot when he signs the bill
and presented to the Association of Women's Clubs at its convention at Chicago
in June, 1924. I desire to thank all who were interested in the bill. Mr.
Stevens is to be honored with a reception, notice of which will be given.